Review: Trakka Trakkaway 730

Enjoy a room with a view in the rough road ready Trakka Trakkaway 730.

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Built on a 160 multijet Fiat Ducato with a 3L turbodiesel engine and 4WD, the Trakka Trakkaway 730 is the latest in the Trakkaway line-up. This four-berth, 7.35m (24ft 1in), C class motorhome uses vacuum-moulded composite panelling for the wall and roof structure, complete with Seitz hopper windows all round, Seitz hatches in the roof and a Seitz half-window door.

Like all Trakka products, it comes with an awning and wall lights. It also has storage bins at the rear. A slide-out barbecue is an option.

The Ducato proved to be a smooth performer with the 115kW engine working well in tandem with the six-speed automated manual gearbox. Also assisting in the handling department is the Al-Ko chassis. It sits slightly lower than other chassis and, while still having a reasonable ground clearance, reduces sideways rock ’n’ roll.

The interior decor is very much Trakka ‘Euro’, and most of its cupboards and lockers have roller shutters instead of doors and flaps. In the rear, Trakka has adopted something from its NZ subsidiary with an "NZ back" comprising lounge seats with large windows all round for taking in the views – a very good idea in cooler, wetter climates! It comes with reading lights all round, overhead lockers and a flatscreen TV in the rear offside corner.

As an addition, Trakka has fitted its Motorised Bed System (MBS). The lounges can be used as single beds or, if you move the table out of the way, you can press a button to power part of the lounge across the motorhome to form an east-west double bed.

Having a lounge/dining area in the front as well means the bed(s) in the rear can be left permanently made up and you can still sit on the small lounge seats on either side.

Trakka kitchens are usually well appointed and this one is no exception. Built into the mid-offside, it features a Cramer three-burner cooktop with a Smev oven/grill underneath. Alongside that is a stainless steel sink with drainer. Benchtop area can be extended by a hinged flap at the forward end of the bench. There are four drawers and a small slide-out pantry, as well as a large overhead locker. Between the end of the kitchen bench and the rear lounge area is the 175L fridge with microwave above.

Bathrooms in Trakka motorhomes look somewhat different, partly because they aren’t plain white boxes and also because they seem to have more space than usual. The latter is principally due to Trakka’s Switch Mode Bathroom (SMB): press a button and the Thetford toilet powers out from under the vanity washbasin, a nice space-saving idea that provides plenty of room for a shower.

Up front, the Trakkaway has a good-sized lounge area which incorporates the Ducato’s factory-fitted swivel seats. The swivelling oval table is slightly offset, thus giving room to get around it while still being practical enough to use.Windows on both sides and around the cab create a spacious feel, as does the rising roof of the Luton peak with its 2.25x1.3m (7ft 5in x 4ft 3in) bed, which can be lifted out of the way if not needed and can also be used as a storage area.

The 12V power comes from two 100Ah deep-cycle batteries, charged by a 15A multi-stage charger. There’s an emergency start facility which allows the vehicle to be started from the house batteries. Solar panels are an option.Heating and cooling are handled by a diesel-fired heater and a roof-mounted air-conditioner.

This latest design from Trakka, which retails for $160,000, offers quite a bit of flexibility in its design. With all the extra features that Trakka likes to fit in and the Fiat Ducato as a base vehicle, the Trakkaway 730 is a neat package indeed.